Here We Stand:  Shippuden
by Kira the Great
Summary: The beginning of the end of the Takura series:  Here We Stand!  What will happen when two of the trips return to Konoha after two years?  Will Tara come back?  Is Gaara really dead?  Welcome to the release of HWS: Shippuden!
1. Chapter 1

Part Fifty-Three: Return to Konoha

_Two years later…_

"This place…looks so familiar," murmured one of them.

"It's been a while," replied the other. "But not much has changed."

"I suppose we were bound to come back…"

"How fortunate for us."

They walked into the village, their long brown cloaks hiding their bodies from view, their faces hidden behind bandages and straw field hats.

"Stop and check in, please," said one of the shinobi at the gate side entrance. She flung some of her toe-blonde hair behind her shoulder.

The other one put her hands on her hips. "We need your names and the reason why you've come to Konoha, if you don't mind."

The two travelers looked to them and approached them slowly.

"We're here to get some food," one said. "As we haven't had a decent meal in a long time."

The other nodded, lifting her head, her brown eyes coming into view, "We hear you have one of the best ramen stands in the country."

Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "Either way, we'll need your names and an official form to be filled out…" she lifted them up.

They accepted them and lifted the brushes from the stand to fill out the needed information. When they had finished, they handed the forms to the two girls.

Ino examined them and nodded. "Looks good, have a nice day, Mr. and Mrs. Yikami."

They bowed their heads and continued into the village.

"They've grown," said the man, a smile under his bandaged face. "Quite a lot, from what I can see."

"Sakura's chakra flow is much greater than it was before," replied the other. "I can tell she's had some real practice."

The other nodded.

"Maybe we should get the ramen first," said his wife. "I'm starving."

"You always are," he replied. "Well, it's this way, if I remember right…"

"No it's not," she said. "It's that way." She lifted her arm and pointed, the sleeve so long that it draped over her fingers.

The other just smiled. "I will follow you, then."

"Good," they started off in the direction that Mrs. Yikami had pointed.

After a little while of walking, Mr. Yikami stopped, his eyes shifting.

"What is it?"

Mr. Yikami's eyes narrowed and he started towards a grocery store. He looked at a piece of paper on the front, tearing it from the window.

Mrs. Yikami approached her husband, reading the paper over his shoulder. "A celebration? For the whole town?"

"It seems Hyuuga Hanabi is getting married," replied Mr. Yikami. (1) "She must be sixteen now, right?"

"About that age," replied his wife. "But we don't have time to be involved. Come on, let's get some food."

Mr. Yikami nodded and put the paper into the sleeve of his cloak. He and his wife continued down the boulevard.

xxx

Inside of the store, Hyuuga Neji watched as the two foreigners left his sight. He frowned, wondering why these two had taken the poster for his cousin's marriage celebration from the window.

He thanked the clerk and took his basket of food, heading down the street in the same direction they had gone.

When he found them, they were at the ramen stand, taking their seats.

He approached them, setting his basket on the counter, taking a seat on the opposite end of the stand.

"Mister Hyuuga, what a pleasure it is to see you!" said the young woman behind the counter. She smiled happily as her father served the two at the other end of the counter. "I thought you would be eating in today."

He smiled back. "It's good to get away once in a while."

"I see," said the ramen man. "The wedding preparations must be a happy burden for you and your family."

He nodded. "Hanabi's father is asking that I make the preparations for the food and company. It's quite draining."

"Well, we have the perfect cure for that!" replied the ramen man, setting a big bowl of ramen in front of Neji. "It's our super-duper energy-giving ramen bowl!"

Neji smiled and pulled apart the chopsticks, giving thanks. He began to eat.

The two at the other end of the stand hunched over and ate their ramen silently, the bandages around their faces having been pulled open so they could eat.

Mr. Yikami glanced over at Neji and then back to his bowl.

"Excuse me," said Mrs. Yikami, "but I'd like another bowl." She lifted her empty bowl up and the young woman behind the counter nodded, taking it from her to refill it. She set the new bowl down, and Mrs. Yikami began to eat again. "I'd forgotten how amazing this ramen is…" she murmured to her husband.

He nodded and took another slurp, his eyes shifting over to Neji. "Indeed."

Neji glanced up at them and smirked. He took another long bite, guiding the ramen elegantly into his mouth.

Mr. Yikami blushed and looked away.

"Another bowl, please!" Mrs. Yikami asked, holding up her empty bowl.

"Y-Yes, Ma'am," replied the woman, carefully taking the bowl and refilling it. "Here you are."

Mrs. Yikami began to eat again, devouring the bowl of ramen without hesitation. "This is so great…I can't get enough!"

"Careful, wife, or you'll get fat," warned her husband as he set his chopsticks down. "And our wallet will get thin."

Mrs. Yikami looked at her husband from under the brim of her hat. "I-I understand…" she sighed and finished her bowl, also setting her chopsticks down. She looked to the ramen man and said, "Can we get the bill, then?"

He handed it to her and she examined it, sighing again. "I see…"

Mr. Yikami pulled a small folded piece of paper from his sleeve, opening it and pulling some bills from inside of it. He handed the bills to the ramen man. "Keep the change."

They pulled the bandages down around their lips and stood up, leaving the stand.

Neji sat for a few more moments before paying his own bill and leaving with his basket of groceries. "Thank you."

"Have a good day, Mister Hyuuga, and tell Miss Hanabi we'll see her at the wedding!" shouted the young woman.

He nodded and waved, following the two cloaked foreigners down the street.

(1) I'm a loser and kept calling her Hinabi earlier on, because I was deaf and couldn't hear her name right…because…well, I'm a loser. So now I changed it. Yay me.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Fifty-Four: Yikami is in Short…

Neji had found them; they were walking down the street, looking into various shops that interested them. He approached them many times, but each time, they moved on, or a crowd came and went and they were gone to the next shop.

Finally, he managed to catch up with them.

He had already formulated a plan, and following along with said plan, pretended to be in a hurry and bumped into Mrs. Yikami so hard that she fell onto the ground, her hat being knocked from her head. Her brown hair was tied up in a tight bun in the back.

"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her side.

"I'm sorry," Neji said softly and he knelt down to help her to her feet. "I'm in a rush to get home, so please excuse me."

She looked at him curiously and smiled. "Oh, no, no, it's fine. No problem at all!" She knelt over and picked her hat up.

"Even so, I feel terrible," Neji said. "My name is Hyuuga Neji, and in way of apology, I would like to have you and your companion over for tea."

Mrs. Yikami looked at her husband. She laughed and shook her head. "It's fine, Mr. Hyuuga, as I said. These things happen."

"Even so, please, respect my apologies and come for tea?" he asked.

Mr. Yikami spoke up and said, "We aren't going to be in town for more than a few hours, so really, there is no need."

Neji looked at him intensely. "I insist."

Mrs. Yikami's stomach gave off a loud growl and she blushed. "Sorry, sorry…I must not have had my fill at the ramen stand…"

"Then come and have some food with the tea," he offered. "I won't take no for an answer, so follow me." He began towards his home.

They exchanged glances, and Mrs. Yikami replaced her hat. The two of them were preparing to sneak away when Neji turned to them and said, "It's right this way. Walk with me."

The foreigners both nodded and came to his side, walking with him. It seemed there was no real way out of this one.

They reached the Hyuuga estate a few moments later, Neji taking them inside and towards the kitchen. He took off his sandals and motioned at the table. "Please, sit. I will be right back."

Mr. and Mrs. Yikami also took their sandals off and sat down at the table, waiting patiently for him to return. He was putting the food he had bought away.

When he returned, he walked over to the stove and put some water on, putting tea in the water. He turned to them.

"You can take off your hats and disguises, Takura Arcin and Takura Yassa," he said, sitting down.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Mrs. Yikami with a pleasant smile. "My name is Yikami Laila, and this is my husband, Yikami Lao."

Neji closed his eyes, and then reopened them. "_Byakugan!_"

The two of them jumped to their feet.

"We have to go—"

"We really must, we have an, uh, appointment!"

"Thanks for the tea, bye!"

They started towards the door, but Neji said softly, "Please, don't leave."

The two of them stopped and Mr. Yikami, also known as Yassa, turned to him. "When did you know it was us?"

"When you took the sign for my cousin's wedding down," he replied, standing and tending to the tea, as it had begun to whistle. "Please, sit down. I believe we have much to discuss."


	3. Chapter 3

Part Fifty-Five: Unfortunate Circumstances

Arcin looked at her sister, and lowered her hat from her head. She nodded and returned to the table, Yassa behind her.

They sat down, Yassa also pulling her hat from her head and setting it beside her. She rubbed her throat, removing the jutsu she had been keeping on it for the past two years.

Neji poured them their tea and set out some food for Arcin. He sat down and smiled, though it was a sad smile.

"I was worried when you never came back," he said. "I heard about Gaara's capture and death, and Kankurou returning to the Sand Village, but no one mentioned what had happened to the two of you."

Yassa gently pulled the bandages away from her face, Arcin also pulling hers off. She reached for an apple and began to munch on it, letting Yassa take over. After all, Neji had been her friend.

"We were forced to act out our own deaths," Yassa explained softly. "Tetsu was following us at the time we were attacked by the Akatsuki. After the twins were killed and Gaara was taken, we really didn't have much of a choice. We had received the mission the night before, and for it to fall apart so quickly…" she glanced away. "We had to be careful."

"Why not return to Konoha?" asked Neji.

"We knew Tetsu would come after us eventually," replied Yassa. "If she couldn't find us, then we figured we would have a better chance of finding Tara and killing Tetsu ourselves."

He nodded and took a drink from his tea. "If you had come back the Hokage could have protected you."

"We didn't want protection," replied Arcin. "We wanted freedom to try and find Tara on our own."

Again, a nod. "I see…you think that if you had come to us, you would have been rejected again?"

"Yes," replied Yassa. "Lord Hokage refused to help us before, and we knew if we came to her again, she would again refuse."

"I would have helped you, and so would have Shikamaru," replied Neji coldly.

"We couldn't chance your lives," replied Arcin calmly. "If you had gotten involved, you would, undoubtedly, have been killed."

"We knew Tetsu would be watching you and Shikamaru, because of our prior friendship," Yassa explained. "She knew that if we needed help, we would come here first."

"Neji? Is that you? Are you home?" a woman asked, opening the door into the room. She looked around, her black eyes falling on the two girls at the table with Neji. "You are. Neji, who are they?"

Yassa looked at Neji and back to the woman.

"They're some old friends of mine," he replied. "Tell the family that dinner will be ready at seven instead of six."

She nodded, but didn't leave.

"Well?" he asked. "Is there anything else?"

"I would like to serve your friends their tea," she offered.

"No, that won't be necessary," he replied. "We have much to talk about, and they won't be here long."

"I can start dinner, then, if you'd li—"

"No," he replied, setting his cup down, his hand tightening around it. "Dinner will be made once they've left."

"I can clean the food, at least," she said.

"_No_," Neji snapped. "Now, please, leave us."

She frowned and shut the door; her footsteps could be heard as she left down the hallway on the other side of the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Part Fifty-Six: When You Were Gone

"Who was that?" Arcin asked, staring at the door blankly.

Neji glanced away and took another drink of his tea. "That's not important. Now, since you've been presumed dead for two years, tell me, have you found Tara?"

"Yeah, I think so," replied Arcin, taking a bite from another of the apples. "We think Orochimaru is keeping his base in the ruins of our old village."

"How do you know?"

"We've seen Kabuto around the area," she replied. "And we have witnesses who say that they've had mysterious deaths in the area, starting about six months ago."

"So he's had Tara go out and do his killing for him?" asked Neji.

She nodded. "That's what we think, since most of the people who died were related to underground and black-markets in his…uh…industry."

"I see," replied Neji. "You should let the Hokage know about this immediately. If you know where Orochimaru is, then we can send shinobi to find Tara and Sasuke."

"I forgot about the Uchiha being in his control," said Arcin thoughtfully. "I suppose it's getting close to when he would want to change bodies again, isn't it?"

Neji nodded.

"Yassa, what do you think?" asked Arcin. "Hey, Yassa?"

Yassa looked up at her sister, obviously having been in deep thought. She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Did you even hear what he said?"

She stood up. "Something about telling the Hokage about knowing where Orochimaru's at."

Arcin looked up at her. "Hey, Yassa, we don't have to leave yet…I mean, we can't just—"

"Tara and Mr. Uchiha are in the grasp of the most notorious villain in this area," she replied, slipping her sandals on. "We don't have time to waste."

"In that case," said Neji, standing up as well, "I would like it if Arcin would go and see the Hokage. I…have to talk with you…" he glanced at Arcin and added, "Privately."

Arcin stood up and approached Yassa, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. "I can take care of this. You stay here."

"But—"

"Besides," she said, cutting Yassa off, "we'll be less noticeable if I go alone." She replaced her hat and wrapped the bandages around her face and slipped her sandals on. "I'll be back before nightfall." With that, she left the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

Yassa let her sandals slide off again and turned to Neji. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

He motioned at the table and said, "Sit down, it might take a while."

She nodded and sat down again. "I'm listening."

"As I'm sure you've noticed," he said slowly, "there's an extra person around here…"

"The girl from before," Yassa said with a nod.

"Yes," he replied. "About a year ago, my uncle arranged a marriage for me. There was a big commotion about it, and girls from all over the area came to our home. He finally agreed to have me marry one of the noble family's daughters from the Hidden Rain Village."

She nodded. "I understand."

"Yassa, if you had returned," he said softly, "I…would have married you instead."

She looked shocked. "W-what?"

"My uncle, though he never met you, thought you were a very…interesting person," Neji said. "He told me after you left that I was to have an arranged marriage. I asked him how long he could wait before deciding who I would marry, and he figured that I was talking about you. He gave me a year, and when you didn't come back, he decided on Umi instead."

Yassa looked truly shocked. She couldn't find any words to come to her, and so she remained silent.

"He thought that the fact you already had the Byakugan was rather unusual, but it also went very well with your skills," Neji said. "He admired your work in the Chuunin Exams. You would have been a great addition to the family."

She looked down at her hands and replied, "I'm honored that he considered me for the marriage."

"I wish you had come back," Neji said softly. "Every day Shikamaru and I waited for you to return, and every day you failed to do so."

Yassa nodded. "I understand that we have caused you, our friends, pain, but had we returned, we might have caused your deaths. We had hoped that you would move on, believing that we were truly dead."

Neji looked out one of the windows and replied, "It's hard to move on when someone you loved has disappeared."

"Would you still have wished for us to come back, knowing that you would die?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

She looked at him, her eyes sincere—even cold, in a way. "Then it is a good thing we didn't return until now. If we had come back, you and Shikamaru would have died."

Neji curled his hands into fists. "I already told you, it wouldn't have mattered to us."

"It would have mattered to _us_," she replied. "I couldn't lose you; like we lost Gaara and the twins…I couldn't let that happen."

"So you let us think we had lost the two of you?!"

"We had no choice," she replied.

"It doesn't matter!" he replied. "You _always_ had a choice! You told Shikamaru and I that you'd return when you had news! You _promised_ us!"

She looked at him sternly, "We have fulfilled that promise today, well haven't we?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"All we said was that we would come back when we had news," she said softly. "It has taken us a long time to collect the data, and we could not risk coming forth prematurely."

Neji stood up and prepared to make more tea.

"Neji," Yassa began slowly, "your wife, Umi, she loves you, right?"

He glanced back at her. "I think she's more in love with the power my family brings to her."

"How do you feel about her?"

He lowered the teapot onto the stove and looked out the window. "No matter how many times I try to tell myself that I do, I find more and more each day that I have no feelings for her."

Yassa didn't know whether to feel pleased, or to feel sad. She had, after all, put him into this position by not returning. "I…see…"

"I don't think you do," he replied, turning to look at her. "Yassa, you were one of the few people who understood me for me. You didn't see our family's heritage; you didn't see how well-known and powerful we were. You just saw me for me. You're the second person who hasn't cared about where we come from as much as who we are." He was, of course, talking about Naruto. "And then you left me. I went through so much crap after you were gone…I couldn't understand for a long time why I hated you so much for leaving. But, now that you're back, I find myself hating you even more than I did."

"Umi doesn't seem like a bad person," Yassa said, in way of apology. "She seems to be a good woman, and a good wife. I think—"

He turned on her and shouted, "Don't you get it?!"

She regarded him with shock.

"Don't you understand what I'm trying to say to you?!" he screamed. "I had to go two years without knowing whether or not you were alive! I had to assume the worst—that you and Arcin had _died_, Yassa! I loved you, and you left me alone, and now I'm married to some woman from some village who only married me for my heritage! You were the only one who never gave a crap about that, and you left me!"

She lowered her head and shut her eyes. "I _know_. I know I hurt you, and I know that you will never forgive me, but if I had come back, Tetsu would have _killed_ you."

"I don't care!" he shouted. "I would rather die with you by my side than have you die somewhere out in the unknown!"

Finally Yassa stood up. She lifted her face to Neji, her brown eyes sad. "I can't take back what I did, Neji. I can't change the past. I did what I had to do, and I don't expect you to forgive me. However, sometimes we must sacrifice something we want to keep something we love safe."

She picked up her hat and continued, "I should go and make sure Arcin reached the Hokage. We will be in the village until tomorrow morning. I will come see you before we leave, if you'd like."

She began to wrap the bandages around her face, but Neji put his hand on her wrist. He looked up at her, his eyes sad. "…don't go."

"I have to," she replied. "The Hokage may not remember Arcin, and I should be there to help her. Besides, she gets easily distracted and—"

"No," he said. "Don't go after Tara."

"What?"

"She doesn't care about you," he said. "She doesn't care if you're trying to help her or not. She knows what she's doing…so please, just stay here…"

Yassa placed her hand over his and replied, "I can't. For one, Mr. Uchiha is still with Orochimaru, and Mr. Uzumaki wants nothing more right now than to save him. If he knows where to start looking, then we might be able to help him."

"Then…you're not going to go after Tara?"

"I have to," she replied. "She's my sister. We're all that's left of our family, and no matter how much she defies it, she needs us."

He relaxed and said, "Then let me go with you. I can help."

"If the Hokage wouldn't let you go before, what makes you think she'll let you go now?"

Neji just smiled, "Well, for one, this mission involves Sasuke, and for another, you don't know the Hokage like I do."

Yassa frowned but nodded. "Fine, then. Let's go and see her."

Neji followed Yassa to the door and they slipped their sandals on, Yassa wrapping her face and placing her hat back on her head. She returned the jutsu to her throat, and the two of them left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Part Fifty-Seven: The Hokage

"You have to let me in!" Arcin snapped. She was standing outside of the Hokage's office. "I have to speak with her!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Yikami, but Lord Hokage is taking care of more pressing matters."

Neji and Yassa approached Arcin, Yassa placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. She looked to the guard and said, "We have vital information on Orochimaru that we think Lord Hokage would be interested in."

The shinobi frowned and said, "Hold on…" he went into the room, closing the door behind himself.

Yassa looked at Arcin and asked, "You didn't mention that?"

"I thought he might be a spy," she replied hotly.

"He's a Konoha shinobi," replied Yassa. "What made you think he was a spy?"

"He kept calling Lord Hokage a _him_," replied Arcin, crossing her arms over her chest. "Like he knows anything about the Hokage!"

"Arcin," Yassa began slowly, "We've been gone two years. Maybe the Hokage has changed by now."

"If you ask me," Arcin began, but the door opened and the shinobi nodded. "Lord Hokage has agreed to see you."

He moved aside, allowing them entrance.

Arcin looked over at the desk. The Hokage had their back turned to them, their hands linked behind them. They were dressed in the traditional Hokage robes, which meant that this Hokage could not possibly be Tsunade.

"Lord Hokage," Yassa began slowly, "My companion and I have traveled very far to bring you some important news on Orochimaru's current position."

The Hokage nodded and said in a gruff voice, "Gama, you can leave us."

"Yes, sir," the shinobi replied, and he left the room, shutting the door.

The Hokage turned around, revealing a young face—a face that could be no older than their own. Blonde hair, blue eyes, stripes on his cheeks—why, the Hokage was no more than Uzumaki Naruto!

"What the hell?!" screamed Arcin. "_You're_ the Hokage?!"

Naruto just smiled. It seemed he had lost a lot of his attitude and had matured since they had last been to the village.

Yassa rubbed her throat, removing the jutsu once more, and said, "Lord Hokage, my name is Takura Yassa, and this is my sister, Takura Arcin. I don't know if you remember—"

"I do," he replied. "I remember your other sister, too."

"Good," said Arcin, "because then we don't have to explain everything to you."

Naruto just shrugged and motioned for them to sit down. He had added chairs and a couch to the office since he had taken over for Tsunade.

The four of them sat down.

"Last I heard, you were dead," he said outright. His eyes shifted to Neji. "How long have you known that they were alive?"

"Just today," he replied, leaning back in his chair and looking out the window.

Naruto nodded. "We should have Shikamaru come. He'd probably want to know you're here."

"With all due respect," said Yassa slowly, "I don't think that's a good idea. Tetsu might still be following us, and if she sees Shikamaru in here with us, things might not go so smoothly…"

Naruto nodded. "I can understand that, but I still would like you to tell him you're here."

Arcin just nodded in response.

"I take it you've come to request a mission to bring Tara back?"

"No," replied Yassa. "Even if we asked you, you'd refuse. We're not from your village, so you can't give us the mission…especially after what happened last time."

"What happened last time was an accident," replied Naruto. "No one knew the Akatsuki was after Gaara, so you couldn't have possible predicted it."

Yassa glanced away. Obviously the memory was still strong and painful.

"We just thought you might want to know where we discovered Orochimaru hiding," Arcin said quickly. "We think he's in our old village, in the Wind Country."

"How do you know this?"

"We've heard rumors about people being killed in that area," she replied. "And there have been sightings of Kabuto. We're sure it's them."

Nartuo leaned back, thinking, his eyes closed. Indeed, it was almost terrifying the amount he had matured in two years.

Arcin shivered. There was no _way_ that this guy was Naruto. He was just too…calm. To collected and he knew what he was doing. It just _couldn't_ be him.

But, when she glanced over at Neji, she saw that he wasn't bothered by Naruto's complacent attitude. He was acting as if he didn't want to be there with them. It was obvious Yassa had hurt him, but it was just now that Arcin realized how much.

She had been joking two years ago when she asked if Yassa and he were more than friends. It seemed to her that her innocent joke might have had more meaning behind it than she originally thought.

"Neji," it wasn't a question to get the other boys attention.

The Hyuuga turned to him. "What?"

"Do you think the four of you have enough man-power to start towards the Wind Country?"

He looked surprised, but nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"I want you four to scout ahead. Don't do _anything_ until myself and the others arrive and meet you. If we go in groups larger than four, Orochimaru will notice us, as might their sister."

"Wait," said Yassa slowly, "who's the fourth shinobi you're sending with us?"

"Nara Shikamaru," replied Naruto.

"I told you, it's too dangerous!" she said, jumping to her feet. "Don't be stup—"

He grinned at her, catching her off-guard. She and Arcin were so unused to the old Naruto that when he showed through, it was like getting a punch in the face. "Don't worry. I didn't become Hokage for nothing."

She sat back down, her eyes focusing on her hands. She nodded. "I'll trust you, then."

He smirked and leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his desk. "Oy, Yassa, don't worry, really. We'll get Tara and Sasuke _both_ back. I promise, or my name isn't Uzumaki Naruto."

She nodded again.

"We should go," Neji said, standing up. "If we spend too much time here, we may be discovered."

Naruto nodded and replied, "We'll meet you in two days."

"Who are you planning to bring?" asked Arcin carefully.

"Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, and Rock Lee," he replied.

"What about Kankurou?"

"He took over as the Kazekage after Gaara died," replied Naruto softly. "He won't help us—or rather, he _can't_ help us. His duties keep him busier than me, and besides…he's been through enough."

"He's waiting for news of our success," said Yassa softly. "I wouldn't want to disappoint him."

"Me neither."

"We'll go and get Shikamaru," said Neji, "and then we'll start west."

"See you in two days."

They left.

Naruto leaned back in his chair and looked out at the city, lightly fingering his hat, thinking as he tended to.

_Sasuke…we'll get you back, I swear on my life._

Note: …I know it's unrealistic that Naruto would become Hokage so quickly. I'll explain why he was in the office and playing that role in a later chapter…


End file.
